This century will see a substantial majority of the world's population living in urban centers. The United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), to be held in Quito, Ecuador, from 17 to 20 October 2016, therefore has as its mission the adoption of the New Urban Agenda, an action-oriented outcome document that will set global standards of achievement in sustainable urban development. The Agenda will enable us to rethink the way we build, manage and live in cities by strengthening cooperation among stakeholders, urban actors at all levels of government and the private sector.
We recently visited Myanmar and met with a women's savings group in Htantabin Township. These women, who are among the very poorest squatters in Yangon, had for many years been uprooted and impoverished by evictions and faced all types of socioeconomic problems until they were able to work together to buy a small piece of unregistered land, lay out a tight community of 70 house-plots and build simple bamboo and wood houses for themselves for just $991 per family.

ACHR E-News Jan -June 2016

06/07/2016

Dear Friends
During the past 6 months there have been several key activities of ACHR network.
The many key activities of the Community Architects Network - CAN organising an important CAN workshop and supporting rehabilitation activities in Nepal. The ACHR Secretariat has been busy participating in several international meetings and discussions with new possible donors in US and Europe. ACHR has participated in the Prep Com in Bangkok and Surabaya, as well as organised a workshop with the Cities Alliance at the German Habitat Forum in Berlin where our network in Bangladesh was also invited. The implementation of SELAVIP project activities has been very active around the region as well as Community Development Fund - CDF study in 4 countries in Asia. There are continued learning activities between ACHR and Development Planning Unit (DPU - UK) with field studies in Cambodia and anew group of interns working with ACHR network in Thailand and the Philippines.

E-News January 2016

03/02/2016

ACHR welcomes friends to the New Year of 2016 and (coming soon ) the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese New Year. In the fist E-News for the year we present a summary of our activities for Nov -Jan and and indications of 2016 activities. Among the stories: ACHR at Asia Pacific Urban Forum – 6 - Meeting in Jakarta; New proposals approved for the ACHR - SELAVIP Housing Project 2016; the Visit of Exec Dir of SELAVIP International, Brussels, Nov 22 -Dec 4, 2015; Updates on our Poverty Line Study and the Community Development Fund ( CDF) Study; Nepal Earthquake Rehabilitation Update ; Myanmar - ACHR and the Dawei Project; Recent research and articles from Arif Hasan; The passing of Yamamoto Yoshihiko, BLL Japan and news from the Community Architects Network - new Newsletter and award.

How urban poor community leaders define and measure poverty

07/12/2015

SOMSOOk BOONYABANCHA and THOMAS KERR Sept 2015
Abstract This paper describes how urban poor community leaders in six nations (Cambodia, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam) worked together to define poverty, assess its causes, and suggest how best to measure it and address it. Their work drew on over a thousand detailed household expenditure surveys from different settlements in a range of cities in the six nations. Five distinct groups could be distinguished among these urban poor households, and the work suggested that two poverty lines were needed. The community leaders also reviewed national and international poverty lines and found these to be incompatible with reality, especially the US$ 1.25/person/day poverty line. The paper draws some conclusions and describes plans for the country teams to further this work, including engaging with their national governments over the definition and measurement of urban poverty.

ACHR News October 2015

01/10/2015

The Community Architects Network Asia - CAN- began in 2010, initially to support ACHR’s ACCA citywide upgrading projects. It has grown to expand its goals and activities and now embraces young architects in 25 countries. The Buckminster Fuller Institute has recognised the impacts of CAN by including it in the semi- finals (last 6 innovative finalists) of its BF International Award for the betterment of communities and cities. ********** It is with much sadness that we inform you that Rashid Khatri passed away in Battambang Cambodia on the evening of the 15th September 2015. Sad and sudden news. ************ Three important meetings coming up for ACHR from 15th to 21st October in Jakarta, Indonesia. Groups from the coalition from 9 countries will attend.